The present invention relates to a mowing device for stalky stem products.
More particularly, it relates to a mowing device which has a rotatable cutting disc and a coaxial transporting disc with a plurality of pocket-shaped recesses for receiving stalky stem products.
Mowing arrangements of this type are known in the art. Some of these mowing arrangements are disclosed for example in German references DE-OS 33 08 077, and DE-GM 91 09 490. The function of such mowing devices is to mow stem products arranged in rows or wide sowing, in particular corn and to transport the mowed stalks to a discharge location. It is important to firmly hold the stalks during cutting and retain the separated stalks on their feet during transportation. These conditions are satisfied in the German document DE-OS 33 08 077 relatively satisfactorily. The transporting discs provided in the construction of this reference have however the disadvantage that they rotate in the same direction, while with a lower speed, as the cutting discs. The peripheral speed of the cutting discs must therefore be held so high as when they must provide cutting as in a free cut. This causes a great power consumption, high wear and high damage risk for the cutter.
Another problem is to prevent that the cut stem product stalks fall forwardly but are retained in the transporting discs. For achieving this it has been proposed to arrange on the upper side of the cutting disc a plurality of strip-shaped guiding plates spaced from one another and inclined to a tangent of the cutting disc, so as to engage the stalk feet and guide them radially inwardly. The action of such guiding plates has been confirmed by experiments. However, there is the disadvantage that in the region in which they are arranged, the operation of the cutting discs is hindered and is especially in the event of thin, moist stem products or green roots which lead to clogging since the green product is caught on the end surface of the guiding plate and does not run off them.